Rosetta Stone: Arabic Explorer

by Fairfield Language Technologies

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 8.2 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00002S9FQ
• Item model number: 035-22
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 20, 2001
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,399 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Now you can learn a new language with the award-winning method used by the U.S. State Department to train diplomats. Proven effective by NASA astronauts, Peace Corps volunteers, and millions of students worldwide, the Rosetta Stone Language Library teaches new languages faster and easier than ever before.

We all learn our childhood language by associating new words and phrases with the world around us. The Rosetta Stone method replicates this process by presenting vivid, real-life images to convey the meaning of each new phrase. Instead of translating, memorizing, and studying rules of grammar, you actually learn to think in the new language. Vocabulary and grammar are integrated systematically, leading to everyday proficiency. It's the natural way to learn.

The Rosetta Stone Explorer contains 22 lessons for beginning learners with nearly 900 real-life images and phrases spoken by native speakers. It develops all key language skills--listening comprehension, reading, speaking, and writing--while its systematic structure teaches vocabulary and grammar naturally, without lists and drills. Includes previews, exercises, and tests for every lesson, with automated tutorials throughout the program. (Ages 6 and older)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good vocabulary builder and refresher, not for serious study, December 11, 2003

By 

David "I read science fiction and fantasy, bu... (LAUREL, MD, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: Arabic Explorer (CD-ROM)

I am actually reviewing the online version from Rosetta Stone Online, which makes the full Level I and II versions available by subscription. I believe the Explorer contains just the first few units.

Each section consists of a series of Listening, Reading/Listening, Speaking, and Reading exercises. The full version of this software consists of 19 units of 10-12 sections each.

In each exercise, you are given a series of activities consisting of a choice of four pictures and/or pieces of text and/or spoken dialogues (depending on which type of activity it is), and you must choose the correct picture/text/dialogue from the cues.

The exercises are very simple, suitable for children or for quick reviews. If you are new to Arabic, or refreshing your skills after a long period of disuse, the repetition will be useful in building your vocabulary (back) up. You are fed bits of grammar incrementally with each new unit. You start with simply identifying various people and objects, and then add a few adjectives, and then add a few verbs so you are recognizing simple sentences such as "The boy drinks some milk" or "The bird flies" or "This car is not red, it is white," etc. Each unit adds more pieces of grammar and more vocabulary, building up to more complex sentences, different verb tenses, and so on.

However, that is as far as it can take you. Diligently practicing all the exercises should expand your vocabulary and give you basic grammatical skills in Arabic. It will not bring you to the point of being able to carry on a meaningful conversation (unless your conversations are confined to describing objects and pointing at various people and animals and stating what they are doing), nor will it enable you to, say, read a newspaper.

For self-study, this software makes a good supplement to more robust texts and tapes. Don't expect it to bring you up to full proficiency. If you want to do more than recognize simple sentences and learn a lot of "everyday vocabulary," Rosetta Stone is insufficient. However, I do recommend it for the crucial repetition and "training your ear" that every language student needs, especially those doing self-study, if you are at a low to moderate proficiency level.

It is important to note that the text is entirely in Arabic script. You must be able to read Arabic before you can practice anything but the listening exercises. (Get a good book on Arabic script and learn it -- it's not that difficult, a serious student should be able to read the script fairly proficiently within a week.) Also, there are no English translations at all. This is not a bad thing -- the way the information is presented, you are expected to pick up the meaning as you go along, and if you practice the exercises seriously, you will. Just be aware that this software is based on the Audio-Lingual method, so you will find no glossaries or explanations of grammar.

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for experienced linguists, February 21, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: Arabic Explorer (CD-ROM)

While the Rosetta Stone presents the student with a great deal of succint information and needed repition, the program lacks the in-depth analysis serious students of language might expect. Grammar, alphabet, etc.--all must be garnered from other sources. Great for those wanting a flavor of the language, or for the young; but the serious student of languages would have to pass.

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very good introduction to Arabic, February 4, 2001

By 

K. Anderson (Duluth, Minnesota United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rosetta Stone: Arabic Explorer (CD-ROM)

I've gone through a lot Arabic self-teaching materials in my long and probably hopeless effort to learn Arabic. This is the best teaching tool I've found so far. It's the first one where I've actually made some progress in grasping verb conjugations and pronunciation. It is far superior to Transparent Language's Arabic CD-ROM, which I found to be essentially worthless as a learning tool. The excercises are fun but like any language learning method they require repetition. The software is easy to use and very straightforward. I'll have to break down and buy the whole course someday but for now this will suffice. As an adjunct to this software, I would also recommend "Essentials of Arabic Grammer" and perhaps "Teach Yourself Arabic", books available from Amazon. Anyway, this is really outstanding educational software.